[Advaita-l] Advaita in Everyday life

[Raghav Kumar Dwivedula]

Namaste Murali ji
There is the well-known verse expressing the appreciation of advitIyAtma -
"Dehabhimane galite vijnate paramatman Yatra yatra mano yati tatra tatra
samadhayah”
(For one whose identification with the mind and body have dissolved ,
wherever the mind moves, there is samAdhi )

This is no doubt the blessed state of spontaneously abiding or being the
nondual reality for the siddha.

Nevertheless the same verse is also a pointer to what can be called sAdhana
when one is yet to get over the identification with the body-mind.

Wherever one experiences an easy and relatively effortless resolution of
mind, that is a good "practice" to start with .

A direct attack such as "doing something" like Japam etc is very important
in its own place, but an overemphasis on "doing" is not too effective in
bringing about the necessary appreciation of vedAntic understanding.

For example , after a reasonable length of study under teachers of Vedanta,
even listening to a seemingly dualistic bhakti song rendered by an MS
Subbalakshmi can help resolve the mind without any struggle, to appreciate
or reorient oneself to the *underlying understanding of the mahAvAkya*. The
use of devotional music , not merely for appreciation of its particular
musical embellishments , but as a direct means for vedantic contemplation
is quite significant.

The exact piece/song which resolves the mind towards nondual contemplation
will differ from one person to another based on cultural and individual
memories and  "associations".

An ISKCON-ite who no longer subscribes to their narrow minded doctrines and
has grown up in to a student of Advaita can, surprisingly, still employ
their (ISKCON) genre of music and chants to good advaitic effect because of
the devotional "association" with those chants for him.

Lastly , visits to naturally gifted places with possibilities of relative
solitude (Gangotri, maybe,) is excellent in taking a step back and getting
unstuck from the roles one plays in life. This is only a naimittika
practice.

Sri Ramana Maharshi would say on the authority of the texts about
Arunachala, that circumabulating the sacred hill of Arunachala is "sanchAra
samAdhi" , a walking meditation. This practice of "Giri pradakshina," might
appear like an externalized practice but it can be effective nidhidhyAsanam
particularly when there has been some prior vedAnta adhyayanaM.

Just sharing some experiences.

Om


On Wed 15 Aug, 2018, 8:22 PM Murali k via Advaita-l, <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> Dear members,
>
> How do you practice Advaita in everyday life?
>
>  An example of this would be asking the question "who woke up?' as soon as
> one is awake in the morning. (Robert Adams).
>
> It would be helpful if Sadhaks can share hints/tips that they practice to
> assimilate the teachings.
>
> Thanks,
> Murali
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